1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an ostomy bag. More particularly, the present invention provides improvements to an ostomy bag which are intended to aid a patient in handling an ostomy bag during cleansing so that the bag may be reused while at the same time incorporating a venting system. The ostomy bag of the present invention is incorporated with a venting/cleaning assembly which allows gases built up within the ostomy bag during use to be vented in a first mode, and allows cleaning of the ostomy bag while secured to a patient or when removed from a patient in a second mode.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Over millions of patients have undergone a surgical procedure referred to as an ostomy. This is where a portion of the colon or other body member is surgically attached to an opening formed in the abdominal wall. This opening forms a stoma, which does not have a sphincter muscle, thus requiring some form of bag to be worn over the stoma to collect bodily discharges and to retain them until the bag can be removed and cleaned or replaced in the privacy of one's own home. To dispose of each ostomy bag after every use would become quite expensive, and therefore ostomy bags which may be cleaned and then reused have been developed. A problem associated with cleaning the bag is that no one wants to come into contact with bodily waste products, and thus handling of the bag requires some manual dexterity skills which the elderly at times find difficult.
Another problem associated with an ostomy bag is that gases accumulate within the bag while it is being worn. The gases need to be vented, otherwise the bag will expand and unseal itself, creating an embarrassing mess.
There are prior art devices, such as in Smith U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,447 and Diack U.S. Pat. No. 2,054,535, which have incorporated a venting system into an ostomy bag and there are prior art devices which hold the bag during cleaning, note the patent to Loveless U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,693. However, there are no prior art devices known which address both the problems of venting and cleaning by incorporating improvements into the ostomy bag itself.